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IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE FITNESS INDUSTRY Course Professor Name University City (State) Date Introduction Initially, social media was created to help people keep themselves connected with family and friends. Its usage has diversified and is now used for work, business, and searching information. Another domain in which it is being used highly is fitness and health (Tschirpig 2020: 5). fitness and healthy lifestyles are promoted with influencers' help. Owing to the greater availability of information related to health and lifestyle, people are getting interested in leading a healthy lifestyle by changing their living habits. Social media plays an instrumental role in content creation and dissemination and in creating consciousness about users' body image. Influencers post their workout routines, diet plans, exercise videos, and food pictures. The fitness journey and lifestyle of influencers are casting a huge impact on the body positivity of users (Norton 2017: 5). They are inspired and motivated to share pictures of healthy food and post-gym selfies, which makes them feel better psychologically. The opinions and perceptions of individuals related to fitness, health and lifestyle are being shaped continuously through influencers and content creators on social media platforms (Li et al., 2023: 1). Individuals are imbibing things they watch on social media and comparing them. Women are a vital segment that is highly impacted because of influencers (Gelsinger 2021: 53). This study intends to explore the impact of social media on the fitness industry. It explores the way in which the perception of women regarding their bodies is being shaped through influencers on social media. Description Role of Influencers in Shaping Fitness Standards and Prevalent Trends The entire dynamic of the fitness industry has changed because of the emergence of fitness and health influencers. Social media influencers are casting a huge impact on the way women tend to perceive their bodies (Mills et al. 2022: 3). There is an ongoing debate in the academic circle regarding the way perception of women is being shaped either positively or negatively because of influencers on Instagram and various trends on social media. Different trends related to body positivity are also emerging, which tend to shape women's opinions about themselves (Mills et al. 2022: 3). The previous generation used to idolize conventional celebrities. However, online influencers on Instagram are admired by Generation Z in contemporary times. The content produced on social media creates awareness in people about various things related to the fitness industry (Mills et al. 2022: 3). The content is also considered to augment the physical activity of individuals by motivating them (Durau et al., 2022: 2). It also influences the thinking patterns of people as they get dissatisfied after viewing thin and muscular people online. Research has revealed that the images shared by fitness influencers negatively affect users. Young women tend to get dissatisfied by viewing the perfect bodies of other girls and women on social media (Papageorgiou et al., 2022: 2). The images of ideal thin bodies with filters are present excessively on social media platforms, promoting stereotyped body images. However, an opposite impact is cast by content promoting or depicting body positivity. It has been assessed that the body positivity trend and content shared on Instagram positively affected the users (Mills et al. 2022: 3). Body positivity reflects the appreciation and admiration of features usually considered flaws. The features commonly regarded as flaws, such as stomach rolls, skin blemishes, and cellulite, are appreciated. This type of content and narrative on social media is relatively new, and it resulted in augmenting appreciation and satisfaction of individuals towards their bodies (Mills et al. 2022: 3). It also worked as a positive intervention for individuals dissatisfied with their body image. Intersectional Lens One of the key factions that has been influenced by fitness culture on social media is women. Feminist scholars have posited that it is important to consider intersectionality while assessing the influence of social media on the self-esteem and body image of women (Kushwaha 2024: 255). The interconnectedness of different social identities, such as class, race, and sexuality, and their consequent impact on the construction and perception of body images is acknowledged by intersectionality. The way social media influences the body image and self-esteem of women depends on the background of women. Different factors from their backgrounds, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and race, affect how women perceive their bodies (Kushwaha 2024: 255). The nuances and complexities of how social media influences the perception of women regarding their appearance and physique can be comprehended with the help of an intersectional approach (Kushwaha 2024: 255). The adverse impact of beauty standards propagated through social media is being countered through the emergence of different feminist movements on social media. This impact has only been realized because of the intersectional lens, as it recognizes the difference in the appearance of people from diverse backgrounds and opposes the dissemination of a single notion of beauty. Inclusivity is fostered through body-positive hashtags, campaigns promoting body acceptance, and challenging the narrow norms of beauty (Kushwaha 2024: 255). The lens is also helpful in determining the intersectional privileges and harms offered by cyberspace to women in the body positivity movement (Griffin et al., 2022: 2). These initiatives have helped women unconventionally redefine beauty and celebrate diversified bodies. Self-acceptance and body positivity in women are being fostered with the help of alternative narratives that challenge the traditional notion of beauty (Kushwaha 2024: 255). The trend has received immense support from feminist communities and influencers on social media. Social Comparison Theory Another important theory that demonstrates the influence of social media on the fitness industry is the Social Comparison Theory. It propounds that people tend to compare their attitudes, status, and abilities with each other (Servos 2022: 3). Individuals get involved in comparing themselves with other individuals after receiving any information about them. Most of them find out their capability to execute a task or achieve something by not focusing on polishing their abilities but rather by contrasting themselves with others (Crusius et al., 2022: 1). This happens in either downward or upward social comparison. Downward social comparison refers to the mechanism when individuals compare people whose attributes they think are inferior to theirs (Dickens 2023: 6). Meanwhile, upward social comparison is a phenomenon where individuals compare themselves with people whose attributes they believe are superior to them. The increase in self-confidence after comparing themselves with less attractive people illustrates the downward social comparison. On the contrary, the envy and jealousy experienced by individuals after comparing themselves with physically attractive and appealing people is an example of upward social comparison (Dickens 2023: 6). The theory is pertinent for assessing the influence of social media on different domains. Kim's (2022) research demonstrates the impact of fitness apps on the self-efficacy of users exposed to social media. Individuals' self-efficacy is augmented as they compare themselves with those they consider physically fit. At the same time, their self-efficacy dwindles as they contrast themselves with individuals who are relatively less fit (Kim, 2022). Therefore, it can be regarded that individuals' self-efficacy is greatly influenced by the type of self-comparison in which they engage. Studies have revealed that individuals are motivated and inspired to become physically active after seeing the fitness journey and performance of people they want to emulate by seeing their content on social media. In contemporary times, fitness app users are highly prone to draw comparisons because of the excessive amount of content related to fitness and physical activity posted on social media (Kim, 2022). They are exposed to fitness-related content, trends, and videos on social media either intentionally or unintentionally. An individual's competence is highly influenced by viewing people's activities and fitness transformation on social media (Kim, 2022). Drawing comparisons by continuously being influenced by social media leads to two purposes: self-improvement or self-evaluation. These two purposes can considerably impact individuals' compete...